Ankle protector



R. HESSE ANKLE PROTECTOR.

March 30, 193 7.

2 Sheets--Sheefl l Filed Feb. 6, 1955 ATTORNEY March 30, 1937. R. HEssE ANKLE PROTECTORA Filed Feb. e, 1955 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Rig., 6

'/Nl/ENTOR.' @M KOM BYZP.

,4f-FORME# Patented Mar. 30, 1937 UNIT-so smrss PATENT orties ANKLE PROTECTOR Richard` Hesse, 'Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to v Everlastik, l tion of Massachusetts Application The' invention relates to a "protector "for 'the ankle 'and adjacent lower portion of the leg.

' the ankle'and adjacent l "advantage that it will maintain its shape, but it always remains a gaiter in appearance and many do not care to wear them.

"Attempt has, also, been madeto protect the ankle and leg by means of a legging. `These, however, while affording Warmth and protection are inclined to sag, become wrinkled and unsightly unless held up by an auxiliary fastening, owing especially to the fact that the size of the leg decreases towards the ankle.

ffging is not stylish and most people do not care to wear` them.

` The object of the invention is accordingly to obviate the objectionable features above referred to, and to provide an ankle protector which combines warmth with fashion, and comfort with be drawn on over the foot or outside the shoes; the ankle and leg style; one which may and be Worn either inside one which will lightly embrace without discomfort and give warmth and protec- `when worn outside the shoes; and especially to tion to the parts covered by it; one which will be soft and exible like a stocking and which will, in fact, give the appearance ofv a short stocking when worn insidethe shoes, and simulate a gaiter providean ankle protector which will keep its shape and not slip down or sag, and willrequire no yauxiliary,fastening to hold it up.

In the attainment of these objects the inveny tion resides essentially in an ankle protector having a body of elastic fabric material, adapted to be drawn over the foot to make a self-forming t around the ankle and leg and composed in large part of soft, substantially inelastic yarns with which are incorporated elastic yarns and rubber cores of which are relatively fine, and of extreme flexibility, and so combined with the inelastic yarns as to form a material of easy stretchability and softness of texture. The least number of strands of the elastic yarn are employed as will obtain the objective result and these strands are arranged to extend circumferentially around the ankle and leg with such The knit legvform of ankle protector Inc., Chelsea, Mass., a corpora- February 6,1935, Serial No. 5,217 1y claim. v(o1. srs- 2) bearing that they will hug' the' leg suiflciently'to compensate for varying size in the leg, but without hugging the ankle and leg too tightly else they would tend to cut off circulation and cause discomfort. The elastic strands thus adapted to conform to the leg are held bound and separated from one another by the fabrication of the strands of inelasticyarn, and inasmuch as they continuously hug' the leg irrespective of its varying size, they cannot come together or overlap one another. In consequence the ankle protector is self-supporting, will not slipdown or sag, and needs no 'auxiliary fastening to hold it up.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the ankle protector out away in part to show especially the arrangement ofthe strands of elastic yarn forming a part of its structure. Y

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the foot and adja-" cent portion ofthe leg and ankle protector applied thereto with the shoe off.

Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2 with the shoe on.-:

Fig. 4 is a-.diagrammatic view looking from the inside, of the binding and seam in the back of theY` ankle protector.

Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged diagrammatic views of different forms of material which may be used in fabricating the ankle protector, one woven, the other knit.

Fig. 'l is a sidefelevation of a modified formof the ankle protector.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view ofthe seamfvat the front of th-e ankle protector, looking from theu inside.

Fig. 9 shows the application 4of the modified asworn inside the shoe. l represents the ankle protector, the bodyof which is made generally tubular in form, preferably-of one-piece fabric material widened at the bottom. Theankley protector isldrawn over the foot and around the ankle and adjacent portion of the leg, and is preferably provided with a strap 2 extending beneath the foot to assist in holding it in place.

The body of the ankle protector is preferably made from woven sheet material. The piece is woven in width which equals the ankle protector in length and the piece is then cut to form the article, the cut edges of the blank being joined by a seam 3 which is preferably bound and covered by a non-elastic tape ll.

The body material is composed of soft inelastics yarns with some elastic yarns in the warp, for it is the warp in the piece material which extends around the ankle and leg in the article as worn. The main body of the material is of inelastic yarns. As little elastic yarn is used as possible, else the ankle protector will lack the softness and flexibility essential to its purpose and will cause discomfort when worn. In practice the amount of elastic yarn comprises about 10% to 15% of all the yarn in the material.

While the invention is not restricted to any specific weave a good type is shown in detail in Fig. 5 where 6 represents the elastic warps and 'I the inelastic warps interposed between the elastic warps and 8 are the inelastic wefts. Inasmuch as it is the warps which extend around the ankle and leg when the anklet is worn it is necessary that great care be exercised else the objective results will not be obtained. A good grade of elastic yarn should be employed with relatively fine rubber cores possessing high resiliency. A number 50 elastic core gives` excellent results. With a number core the core should be covered or wound so that the core will normally lie but little tensioned within the Winding. A ratio of 3 7 gives good results in practice, 3 representing the core and '7 the yarn of which the core forms a part. long stretch the inelastic warps i should be woven with the elastic warps well stretched. A ratio of 12-28 is about right, 12 representing the unstretched elastic yarn andL 28 the yarn as stretched during the weaving. As little elastic yarn should be used as possible, else the material will be too heavy and lack necessary softness `and easy fieX-f ibility. In practice the strands of elastic yarn are woven to lie about 12 to the inch. 'Ihe material should be Yotherwise woven in manner tomaintain the separation of the elastic strands, and at the same time permit of easy and long stretch thereof.

With the material thus made theankle protector formed therefrom is such as will embrace the ankle and leg at all times irrespective of its variation in size, and the elastic yarns will lie tensioned suiliciently only to prevent the strands thereof, held spaced by the inelastic yarns, from slipping down to overlie one another whereby the ankle protector is self-supporting and needs no auxiliary fastening to hold it up.

In Fig. 6 is shown another form of material which might be used in making the ankle protector. Here the inelastic yarns are knitted onto the elastic yarns instead of being interwoven therewith as before. 9 represents the elastic weft strands corresponding with the elastic warp strands in the woven construction first described, or those which in the formed article extend circumferentially around the ankleand leg. l0 represents the loops of inelastic yarn interengaging the wefts and one another, and otherwise acting to hold the elastic wefts in proper spaced relation. In making this knitted material the same rule of construction should be followed in so far To further ensure easy and as possible as in the construction rst described.

In Figs. 7 and 8 a slight modication of the invention is shown in that the ankle protector is provided with a forward extending tongue forming portion Il. With some shoes, especially womens shoes, the upper is cut away well down towards the toe so as to leave an opening over the instep and extending well down into the waist portion of the foot. It is desirable to cover this opening and accordingly the ankle protector is provided with this tongue extension. 'I'he tongue extension is of sufficient length to lap by the edges Vof the upper, all around the opening.

As shown the modified form of ankle protector is made of woven material the same as in Fig. 1. In Fig. l the cut edges of the piece which forms the article are joined by a seam in the back. Here, however, the cut edges of the piece which forms the article with tongue extension are joined by a seam l2 at the front, which is preferably bound and covered by a non-elastic tape I3.

The ankle protector is essentially designed to be worn outside the stocking inside the shoe, and when in place ,has the appearance of a short stocking. The character of the device, however, permits of its being drawn on over the shoe and worn outside the shoe in the manner of a gaiter, the general appearance of which it simulates. Such use of the device outside the shoe is not encouraged for it lacks the nished appearance as when worn inside the shoe, but it can be wornY on the outside when one Wants to wear the ankle protection and does not Want to take the time to remove his shoe.

Having thus fullydescribed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

An' ankle protector adapted to be Worn over the stocking of the wearer either inside or outside the shoes and embracing the ankle and ad-,

jacent portion of the leg, said article having a body kof elastic fabric material fashioned and seamed to have a generally cylindrical form and composed of easy and long stretch rubber yarns and substantially inelastic yarns, the rubber yarnsv extend circumferentially being arranged to around the ankle and vadjacent portion of the Vleg of the wearer in spaced rows, the inelastic yarns forming the main portion of the fabric body and being arranged to maintain the rubber yarns in proper spaced relation and permittingy relatively long stretch of the rubber yarns, the rubber yarns having such expansibility as will enable the article to embrace the ankle and leg over a wide variation in size and become tenil sioned sufficiently only to prevent themselves, held spaced as aforesaid, from slipping down to overlap one another whereby the article is selfsupporting and needs no auxiliary fastening to hold it up.

RICHARD HESSE. 

